 |
| Donna and Hilde on FTD gate |
Hot, hurried and full of family and fun, July was a
wonderful and challenging month for Mark and Hilde. This was almost as much fun as the wonderful
July 7 years ago when John and Evie got married. Yes, that was 7 years ago!
Mark and Hilde started the month with one last picking of
strawberries and then marching in the Stevens Point 4th of July
Parade. For Hilde’s birthday, the couple
attended the kick-off dinner for the Farm Technology Days which Hilde had
supported while on county board, then she had three early mornings of driving
to Marshfield and helping at the gate.
Hilde got hot, tired and dehydrated but very much enjoyed being part of
this huge agricultural gathering, and ‘contributing rightly’ to it.
 |
| Add caption |
July was hot and dry in Wisconsin, but Rudolph suffered a real
plague of small and determined mosquitoes which made some of the outdoor work
really miserable. Clouds of them
attacked while they picked blueberries , blackcaps and beans and especially
while they weeded, but Mark and Hilde emerged victorious, although itchy. Despite the dry conditions there were good
yields of blueberries, so Hilde will have blueberry pancakes through the next
year. One happy Sunday, Mark and Hilde
rejoiced with St. Paul’s church as they finally installed a new pastor.
Then it was time for family fun. For the first time, Rhiannon, Rowan and Caleb
came to stay with Grandpa and Grandma.
They came to taekwondo and actually joined class (not Caleb, but he
mimicked on the sidelines!). The fun time included trips to parks and picnics
and pool splashing, plus a great farm tour at Thorsons. All five Henkels enjoyed it and Jim and Kayme
got a break from full-time parenting.
The last week of July was the off week from taekwondo, so
Mark had scheduled depositions in River Falls and Mankato. He was very busy, but Hilde was able to take
some time to just walk around, shop and enjoy both places, plus getting a press
release drafted and doing some work on the 7th dan form. Testing is coming up! In the evenings, Mark and Hilde strolled in
various parks, enjoying Minneopa Creek’s double waterfall, too.
Later in the month also, Hilde’s mother had some issues, and
after brief hospitalization, is now working at rehab for strengthening and mobility. She is looking forward to a visit from son
Steve and staying positive in outlook.
As a finale to the month, upon return from Minnesota, Mark
and Hilde enjoyed a brief visit from John, Evie and Hazel. She is really growing and working hard at
crawling. She goes in reverse, but forward
will follow. They learn so much and
change so quickly, those wonderful grandchildren and surely light up all the
folks around them.
July was high summer—bright, busy and full!
 |
| Hilde in anti-mosquito gear |
